The real fights rage in statehouses
QUICK IMPACT: Legislatures act faster than possible amendment
Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Washington -- Washington may be getting the attention in the political battle over a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, but the real fight is in the states, where events are moving very rapidly with enormous consequences for both sides.
The outcomes of these state battles -- 35 of them at last count -- will be much more immediate than any federal amendment, which faces formidable barriers to enactment. Proponents and opponents of same-sex marriage are pouring energy and money into ferocious state lobbying campaigns. Both sides believe these fights, primarily over proposed state constitutional amendments or laws to ban same-sex marriage, will lay the groundwork for an eventual U.S. Supreme Court ruling